Denver flights now taking off

At 6 a.m. today, Great Lakes Airlines' flight to Denver took off with its first passengers.

One of those passengers, a consultant from the east coast, John Hart, was on the flight to connect in Denver to a flight in Washington, D.C. He said his wife had just flown to San Antonio a few weeks ago, and her trip was much more complicated, with flights from Havre to Billings, Billings to Lewiston, Lewiston to Denver and Denver to San Antonio.

"Needless to say, the fact that they were shifting the flight to Denver is much appreciated," Hart said. "This change is one of those signs that helps the city's growth."

Four to five passengers boarded in Havre, then the plane picked up more passengers in Riverton, Wyo., during a 20-minute stop on the way to Denver. These numbers seem to be consistent for the rest of the week, though Great Lakes' reservation department said that Thursday's morning flight is nearly full already.

Jim Lyons, manager of the Havre City-County Airport, said this morning that he believes the situation is looking good.

"I think we're going to see this very much take off," Lyons said.

Lyons and Hart aren't the only excited about the new service. Geraldine Laux, one of the security team employees at the airport, is glad to see the traffic.

"We're just happy to have more passengers," Laux said, checking a ticket in front of the metal detector.

Lyons said last week that the airport would be shifting around the security equipment to make more room for passengers to wait. This change appeared necessary with all three of the chairs in the 10-foot space between the metal detector and the door leading outside were occupied, with more passengers leaning against walls.

`At 6 a.m. today, Great Lakes Airlines' flight to Denver took off with its first passengers.

One of those passengers, a consultant from the east coast, John Hart, was on the flight to connect in Denver to a flight in Washington, D.C. He said his wife had just flown to San Antonio a few weeks ago, and her trip was much more complicated, with flights from Havre to Billings, Billings to Lewiston, Lewiston to Denver and Denver to San Antonio.

"Needless to say, the fact that they were shifting the flight to Denver is much appreciated," Hart said. "This change is one of those signs that helps the city's growth."

Four to five passengers boarded in Havre, then the plane picked up more passengers in Riverton, Wyo., during a 20-minute stop on the way to Denver. These numbers seem to be consistent for the rest of the week, though Great Lakes' reservation department said that Thursday's morning flight is nearly full already.

Jim Lyons, manager of the Havre City-County Airport, said this morning that he believes the situation is looking good.

"I think we're going to see this very much take off," Lyons said.

Lyons and Hart aren't the only excited about the new service. Geraldine Laux, one of the security team employees at the airport, is glad to see the traffic.

"We're just happy to have more passengers," Laux said, checking a ticket in front of the metal detector.

Lyons said last week that the airport would be shifting around the security equipment to make more room for passengers to wait. This change appeared necessary with all three of the chairs in the 10-foot space between the metal detector and the door leading outside were occupied, with more passengers leaning against walls.